Bolt retractor



E. A. HILL BOLT RETRACTOR "Filed Oct. 13, 1922 gww z alo'o ELERTAHILL,

' tation in one S T S PATENT eFFricE ELEBTIYA. HILL, or os Anent ns, oarmomvm.

BOLT anraec roa.

Application fil ed October 13, 1 22'. Serial newness.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELnR'r A. HILL, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Los; Angeleminthe county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new.

and usefulImprovements in a Bolt Retractor, of which the following is a specificae.

tion. p, Y This invention re'latesgenerally to looks and particularly pertains to a bolt throw,- ingdevice [hich is especially adapted for usef in a combination or permutation lock of thetype disclosed in my c'o-pending application for United States Letters Patent filed February 14, 1922, SeriaLNu mbe r' 536,581,

which has matured into Letters Patent No.

1,48Q,759 issued. January 15, 1924;.

' In thevv type of lock referred to the movement of, a lock bolt is controlled by a series of rotary tumblers which are actuated with a step movement by means of push-buttons, said operation when properly executed intended'to dispose the rotary tumblers in such relatiom to the. lock bolt as toefiect either locking engagement or release of the bolt. In the particular form 0tlock to which. may, present invention applies the tumblers. are designed to rotate in one direction only, that is, are not subject to retrograde movement, being held against rodirection, and -are adapted to be a lva nce'd witha step by step movement in the other movement.

secure the lock bo'lt in a locking engagement or released p'o'sitiom by the proper opera tion of the rotary tumblers, when the lock bolt has been 'by'other means. disposed in the desired locking engagement orlreleasedv The locl: mechanism being en-' .1 .v .1 .1 pos tion; clo'sedan'd concealedin a houslng, 1t 1s necessary to provide dependable-means for exteriorly determining the position of :the' bolt, and for operating the bolt to efl'e'ct a.

locking engagement, or release, upon the.

completion of the proper operation ofthe combination or permutation mechanism.

It isthe object ofthe present invention to provide a boltthrowing device in a lock of the character described, whereby the lock bolt' may he n'ian'ually disposed'to the desired'position from the exterior of the lock casing. with a step. bystep. rotary movementefi'ected by-ineans. of. a piislrebutton direction, without limitation of The rotary tumblers of the nev mutation mechanism do not actuate thelockv *bol't, beingmerely intended to efl'e'etually actuating a rotary tumblerwhose rotation effects moyementof thelock bolt.

lS Tith foregoing objects in View, together with such "other objects and advan tages as may subsequently appear, my in ventlon resides in the parts and the construction and arrangement and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which: T

Figure 1 is a top view of a lock casing, with parts broken away-to show my belt throwing device, with the bolt in locking position. I

a 2 is a similar view showing the bolt in an unlocking position; i

Fig. 8 is a similar view, showing the bolt asa dapted to effect the locking engagement at thee nd opposite that shown in thefor egoing figures. i

1 Fig. 4 is aview in section and elevation of the lock casing and bolt throwing mechanism, showing a rotary tumbler in side elevation as seen on the line 1 of Fig. .1.

Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation of the rotary tumbler designed to effect movement of the lock bolt. l a

Fig. 6 an edge View of the tumbler shown in Fig.

More specifically, 10 represents a lock casing which may be of any suitable construction and is 'he re shown as having a front walll lli. back of which is a chamber 12 eiiectivelv housing a lock mechanism; part of whichneed not be herein shown. The lock casing is shown in Figures 1 and 2 as being attached to a hinged strap or movable panel 13, by means of a common compression spring ,14 which encircles the lock casing in a groove 15 and partly overlaps theedge ofthe. panel at a point 16. The othiers'ide of the panel abuts against a sh oulder 17 formed on the lock casing.

Themovablepanel 1.3. earryingthe lock casinq'is intended to abut against a frame. 18; which ends ,nearlv' adjacent torthe rear portion ofthe loekcasing and with which,

12 and is cylindrical in shape and adapted to slide in and out of engagement with the opening 19. A guide bearing 21 permanently positioned within the lock casing 10, and formed with a split 22 at its upper circumference, atlords a slide support for the bolt 20; its function being to slidably hold the bolt in its longitudinal position, and in alignment with the opening 19 when the lock casing is disposed in its proper locking relation to the frame 18. A pin 23 projects vertically from the bolt 20 and is adapted to slide between the walls of the split 22 in the bearing 21. For the purpose of impelling the bolt 20 into locking engagement with the opening 19, I have provided an actuating cam 24 adapted to act on the pin 23.

The actuating cam embodies a sleeve 25 revolvably mounted on the bolt, and is formed with an inclined edge, fully retractive at point 26 and circumferentially advancing to a fully protruded edge, as shown at point 2.7 in Figure 6. Thus, it will be seen that when the sleeve 25 is rotated in a fixed plane of rotation, the edge of the cam will bear against the pin 23 and move the bolt 20 into 'a locking or advanced position.

The cam 24 is integrally formed on a rotary tumbler 28, which tumbler is adapted to be rotated in one direction and inhibited from retrograde movement. More specifically, the rotary tumbler comprises a ring 29, having a hub 30, adapted to revolve on the bolt 20. The ring 29 is here shown as formed of a pair of rings which are suitably joined together side by side; the ring or tumbler thus formed being provided with shoulders 31 and 32 on each side thereof, respectively, which are adapted to bear against enclosing walls 33 and 34; of the lock casing 10 for the purpose of inhibiting move ment of the ring longitudinal of the bolt, thuselfecting a fixed plane of rotation for the cam 24. The outer periphery of the ring 29 is formed with ratchet teeth 35, which are intended to afford means for effecting rotation of the tumbler with a step by step movement in one direction and to prevent rotation in the opposite direction.

Means for imparting rotation to the tumbler with a step by step movement is accomplished by a push-button 36, working through the front wall 11, which push-button engages a pawl 37, and is adapted to advance the pawl against opposition of a spring 38. The pawl 37, upon advancing, engages one of ratchetteeth 35 and imparts to the rotary tumbler a portion of a rotation, whereupon on release of the push-button the spring 38 returns the pawl 37 and push-button 36 to a retracted position.

This pawl construction constitutes the subject matter of my pending application, filed September 27, 1922, Serial No.

590,978, and embodies a slide block 0; carried in a guideway b and includes a rockable pawl member 0 and the conical end (Z formed on the push button 36; the pawl being formed with a recess into which the conical end of the push button loosely projects in such manner that on retractive movement of the pawl member a it may move vertically and ride over the teeth 35 on the tumbler 28.

Retrograde movement of the tumbler is inhibited by means of a plunger 39 which is disposed to slide horizontally and transversely of bolt 20, within the front wall 11, and is formed with a projection 40 of relatively less diameter than the plunger 39 which extends through the front wall 11 for the purpose of e-Xteriorly indicating the disposition of the bolt 20, explanation of which operation is hereinafter included. It will be seen that the inner end of the plunger bears against the peripheral surface of the rotary tumbler, being yieldably held in that position by a spring 41, and when thus held offering an obstruction to retrograde movement of the tumbler.

The ratchet teeth 35 on the periphery of? the ring 29 are formed with equal depth excepting at a point indicated at 42, where the depth of the ratchet tooth is relatively greater than the depth of the remaining teeth. The purpose of this construction is to allow plunger 39 to advance within the lock casing a greater distance than when the tumbler is disposed at other positions on the tumbler, and when the plunger is thus advanced within the lock casing the projection 40 is retracted within the lock casing. Thus a so-called starting point may be indicated exteriorly of the lock casing, from which a pro-determined number of rotating impulses of the tumbler will operate the'cam to actuate the bolt to a locking or an unlocking position, as may be desired.

On the end of the bolt opposite the cam mechanism is positioned acoil spring 43, fitting within a recess 44 of the lock casing, abut-ting at the inner end against the end wall of the recess and being retained at the outer end by a pin 45 through the'bolt 20.

The spring 43 bears in opposition to the action of the cam 24. The pin 45 is disposed in vertical alignment with aforementioned pin 23, both being adapted to slide within a longitudinal recess one wall of which is indicated at 46, and said pin 45 has a further purpose of retaining the bolt 20 in a non-rotatable position. 7

From the foregoing description, the operation of my belt throwing device is obvious. From a starting point, indicated by the retraction of the projection 40 Within the lock casing 10, the rotary tumbler'28 may be rotated with a step by step movement in one direction by means of the push-button 36 engaging the pawl 37 which advances the tumbler 28 the peripheral distance of one of ratchet teeth 35, the pre-determined required number of impulses to actuate cam 24, so that said cam may engage the projcction 23 and force the bolt 20 to an ad vanced position in opposition to the spring 43. hen the cam is rotated beyond that point at which the fully advanced edge 27 engages the pin 23 the action of the spring 43 immediately retracts the bolt 20.

It will be noted that, as shown in Figures l and 2 the bolt is in a locking position when advanced by the cam, but the same mechanism may be employed to aiford a locking position of the bolt when retraced by the spring, as illustrated in Figure 3, where a revolving cylinder, designated in section by 47, is formed with a recess 48, adapted to receive the .bolt 20 when retracted by the spring 43. I

The exact bolt throwing device herein described forms a lock in itself, but it is my intention to in practice combine this device with a combination or permutation mechanism, not necessary to be herein described by means of which the bolt may be locked against operation by the cam or spring.

I claim:

1. In a bolt throwing device, a rotary tumbler mounted for free and unlimited movement in one direction, an inclined cam face on said tumbler, a bolt adapted to be advanced by movement of said cam, means for imparting a step by step movement to said tumbler, a lock casing enclosing said cam and tumbler.

2. In a bolt throwing device a lock casing, a rotary tumbler housed and concealed in said casing, said tumbler mounted to retate freely in one direction, means for imparting a step by step rotary movement to said tumbler, means for indicating exteriorly of said casing a starting position for said tumbler, an inclined cam face on said tumbler, a bolt adapted to be advanced and retracted by movement of said camv 3. In a bolt throwing device, a lock casing, a rotary tumbler housed and concealed in said casing, said tumbler mounted to rotate freely in one direction, means for holding said tumbler against retrograde movement, means for imparting a step by step rotary movement'to said tumbler, means for indicating exteriorly of said casing a starting position for said tumbler, a cam actuated by rotation of said tumbler, a bolt adapted to be advanced by movement of said cam, and spring means for retracting said bolt.

4. In a bolt throwing device, a lock casing, a rotary tumbler housed and concealed in said casing, said tumbler mounted to robolt.

ELERT A; HILL. 

